Best Interest Assessor - Senior Social Worker

Cambridgeshire County Council; Huntingdon; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full-time Best Interest Assessor in a dedicated team focused on upholding human rights in care settings. The role involves conducting assessments, providing leadership, and supporting professional development. This position offers a chance to make a meaningful impact in the community while enjoying a comprehensive benefits package, including a wellbeing program and relocation assistance. Join a forward-thinking organization that values diversity and inclusion, and be part of a team committed to safeguarding vulnerable individuals.

Benefits

Wellbeing package

Protected time for CPD

Relocation package

Pay progression scheme

Refer a Friend Scheme

Access to development opportunities

Qualifications

• Qualified Best Interest Assessor with at least two years of post-qualifying experience.
• Excellent knowledge of relevant case law and DoLS frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Conduct Mental Capacity and Best Interest Assessments under the DoLS framework.
• Provide professional leadership and expert guidance in complex cases.

Skills

Mental Capacity Act

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

Best Interest Assessments

Social Work

Education

Registered Social Worker

Best Interest Assessor qualification

Job description

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About the role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full time, Best Interest Assessor in the Cambridgeshire DoLS Team.

The DoLS team have an important role in upholding the human rights of residents in care homes and hospitals across Cambridgeshire.

You will be working with a dedicated and skilled team of Best Interest Assessors, DoLS coordinators, as well as the MCA DoLS manager.

The role is for 37 hours per week and involves travel across Cambridgeshire and neighbouring counties.

Interviews are planned for the 20th of May at New Shire Hall, Emery Crescent, Enterprise Campus, Alconbury Weald, Huntington, PE28 4YE.

If you would like to know more about the role, please contact Nora Hanna - MCA DoLS manager - [e-mail]

We are looking for exceptional Social Workers to join us on our journey. For an informal discussion about our vacancies, contact Beth on 01480 372 425 or e-mail [e-mail].

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

What will you be doing?

You will be assisting the supervisory body to fulfil its' statutory roles. The role is interesting and diverse and includes (but is not limited to) completing Mental Capacity and Best Interest Assessments under the DoLS framework, reviews, prioritisation of referrals, DoLS signatory work and offering shadowing opportunities to other staff members. In the role you will have access to a range of training and CPD opportunities.

As a Best Interest Assessor, you will be a senior Practitioner and in this role you are expected to provide professional leadership in situations which have highly complex case arrangements, provide expert guidance to other professionals, provide written and verbal reports which are concise, informative, and based on analysis of complex evidence and provide cover for the Team Manager during short term absences.

About you

As a qualified Best Interest Assessor and Senior Social Worker, you will need to be a registered Social Worker with at least two years post qualifying experience. You will not be considered for the position if you are not qualified as a Best Interest Assessor.

You will need to have excellent working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act, The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards frameworks and up to date knowledge of relevant case law.

For a full list of the requirements of the role, please see the Job Description and Person Specification.

Our benefits

We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage...

• A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family
• 6 days of protected time each year to support in maintaining your Continuous Professional Development
• A relocation package of up to £8,000 (eligibility applies)
• A pay progression scheme to enable you to accelerate through the pay grade as you gain experience and skills
• A Refer a Friend Scheme where if you refer another Social Worker to us who is subsequently employed by us as a result of that introduction, we'll pay you an introduction fee of £350
• Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth

For more information and to see our other benefits, take a look at the benefits brochure attached to this advert.

About us

Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.

Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do.

We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don't meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don't be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Some examples of adjustments could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.

Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.

https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-careers

Attached documents

• Senior Practitioner Best Interest Assessor 2023 FINAL.pdf